On Monday, February 9, the Williston school community came together to celebrate senior student-athletes that have made their collegiate athletic commitments. This winter’s ceremony was held in the Phillips Stevens Chapel, as we honored 18 current seniors or post-graduates.
“Each of you standing here has gone well beyond expectations,” said Director of Athletics Jade Morris. “You showed up early. You stayed late. You trained when no one was watching. You pushed yourself, lifted up your teammates, and held yourself and others accountable to be better every single day. None of this happened by accident.”
This winter’s group of students included one diver, one girls lacrosse player, three girls ice hockey players, two boys lacrosse players, 10 football players, and one dual commit for boys lacrosse and football.
Below are the remarks Morris gave at the event. You can see pictures on our Flickr gallery. To learn more about Williston’s athletics, click here.
Good evening everyone, and welcome. Today we gather to celebrate something truly special. We are recognizing 18 students who have committed to continuing their athletic and academic journeys at the collegiate level. This winter, we honor students from diving, girls and boys lacrosse, ice hockey, football, and field hockey. While today’s ceremony is not binding in a legal sense, it is deeply meaningful. It represents years of commitment, discipline, and belief, often long before the results were visible.
Each of you standing here has gone well beyond expectations. You showed up early. You stayed late. You trained when no one was watching. You pushed yourself, lifted up your teammates, and held yourself and others accountable to be better every single day. None of this happened by accident. Before we go any further, I would like to start by recognizing you together.
At this time, I invite all of our committed student athletes to come up to the stage for a group photo. This is a moment to mark all that you have accomplished and the journey that brought you here.
Before you return to your seats, I want you to do one more thing. From right where you are standing, point to one person in the crowd who helped you get to this moment. A coach, a parent, a teammate, a teacher, or a friend. No speeches, just a moment of recognition.
Because while your name is on the commitment, none of you did this alone. Take your seats.
Let’s begin. When your name is called, please come forward to sign. We’ll take a photo with your family, teammates, and coaches to mark this milestone.
Cole Cavanaugh, Diving
Cole is a six-year student from Holyoke, MA. Next Year, Cole will be diving at Trinity College.
Congratulations, Cole.
Francesca Gionfriddo, Girls Lacrosse
Francesca is a three-year student from South Glastonbury, CT. Next Year, Francesca will be playing lacrosse at Colby College.
Congratulations, Francesca.
Zola Piekarski, Field Hockey
Zola is a four-year student from Concord, MA. Next Year, Zola will be playing field hockey at the University of Pennsylvania.
Congratulations, Zola.
Brenna Ziter, Ice Hockey
Brenna is a four–year student from St. George, VT. Next Year, Brenna will be playing hockey at Colby College.
Congratulations, Brenna.
Yasmine McKenzie Ice Hockey
Yasmine is a three–year student from Holden, MA. Next Year, Yasmine will be playing hockey at Amherst College.
Congratulations, Yasmine.
Caroline Doherty, Ice Hockey
Caroline is a one–year student from Hingham, MA. Next Year, Caroline will be playing hockey at College of the Holy Cross.
Congratulations, Caroline.
Owen Converse, Boys Lacrosse
Owen is a two–year student from Massena, NY. Next Year, Owen will be playing lacrosse at Muhlenberg College.
Congratulations, Owen.
Bryan Moore, Boys Lacrosse
Bryan is a three–year student from Feeding Hills, MA. Next Year, Bryan will be playing lacrosse at Connecticut College.
Congratulations, Bryan.
Nick Guay, Football/Lacrosse
Nick is a two–year student from Westfield, MA. Next Year, Nick will be playing football and lacrosse at Middlebury College.
Congratulations, Nick.
Dean Ruksnaitis, Football
Dean is a four–year student from Paxton, MA. Next Year, Dean will be playing football at Boston College.
Congratulations, Dean.
Chris Oswitt, Football
Chris is a two–year student from Princeton, MA. Next Year, Chris will be playing football at Princeton University.
Congratulations, Chris.
Ayo Adeniyi, Football
Ayo is a one-year student from Columbia, MD. Next Year, Ayo will be playing football at Dartmouth College.
Congratulations, Ayo.
Buddy Collins, Football
Buddy is a one–year student from Georgetown, KY. Next Year, Buddy will be playing football at Georgetown University.
Congratulations, Buddy.
Ryan Elloras, Football
Ryan is a three–year student from New York, NY. Next Year, Ryan will be playing football at Colby College.
Congratulations, Ryan
Evan Sood, Football
Evan is a one–year student from Southbury, CT. Next Year, Evan will be playing football at Williams College.
Congratulations, Evan
Brooks Connors, Football
Brooks is a two–year student from Rye, NH. Next Year, Brooks will be playing football at University of New Hampshire.
Congratulations, Brooks.
Lucas Guay, Football
Lucas is a two–year student from Westfield, MA. Next Year, Lucas will be playing football at Monmouth University.
Congratulations, Lucas.
Zeke Jackson, Football
Zeke is a three–year student from Calgary, Alberta Canada. Next Year, Zeke will be playing football at Fordham University.
Congratulations, Zeke.
Closing
As we wrap up today, I want to leave you with this. Your journey is just beginning. The habits that got you here, the work ethic, resilience, the willingness to be uncomfortable, and the ability to make the people around you better, are the same qualities that will carry you forward. College athletics will challenge you in new ways, but you have already proven that you are ready for what comes next.
Congratulations to each of you on this incredible milestone.